FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 1, 2026

Walker and Hoffbeck Announce Campaign Focused on Truth, Stability, and Alaska’s Future

Former Governor Bill Walker and former Revenue Commissioner Randy Hoffbeck today announced their campaign for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, launching a statewide effort focused on:

• governing with transparency

• building the Alaska gasline, not starting over

• developing long term solutions for the Permanent Fund Dividend and Alaska’s fiscal stability

• lowering energy and fuel costs

• maximizing revenue from Alaska’s resources

“Alaska is running out of time,” Walker said. “For more than a decade, we have watched families leave, young people move away, and opportunities slip through our fingers while politicians avoided hard decisions. We are running because Alaska cannot afford another lost decade.”

“We’re not running to manage decline,” Hoffbeck said. “We’re running to grow Alaska again.”

The campaign emphasized that Alaska’s fiscal and economic problems will not be solved with slogans, denial, or political attacks.

“For years, Alaskans have been told we can have everything without paying for anything,” Walker said. “That approach has failed. It has drained savings, weakened public services, increased uncertainty for families and businesses, and left Alaska falling behind. We believe Alaskans are ready for honesty and real solutions.”

Walker noted that his administration was the first in modern Alaska history to fully confront the structural deficit after the collapse of oil revenues.

“We told the truth then, even when it was unpopular,” Hoffbeck said. “And we will tell the truth now.”

The campaign also pointed to Walker’s long history bringing the Alaska gasline project to the national and international stage, calling it the single most important economic opportunity for Alaska since construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.

“The gasline is not simply an energy project,” Walker said. “It is Alaska’s economic future. Thousands of jobs. New long-term revenue. Lower energy costs. New opportunities for communities across Alaska. We cannot continue to let politics and changing administrations stall Alaska’s future.”

Walker and Hoffbeck will release additional policy proposals and economic plans throughout the campaign focused on restoring long-term stability and economic growth.

The candidates said their campaign will focus on issues rather than personal attacks and will welcome serious discussion from Alaskans across the political spectrum.

“This election should not be about left versus right,” Hoffbeck said. “It should be about whether Alaska is willing to confront reality and move forward.”

Walker added: “We have spent our careers building businesses, negotiating major projects, balancing budgets, and solving difficult problems. We are not running to be caretakers. We are running to move Alaska forward again.”

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